UNCW chancellor gets building named after her

WILMINGTON, NC (NEWS RELEASE) - Today the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Wilmington announced the naming of DePaolo Hall in honor of Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo, who will retire June 30 after eight years of service to the university.

The surprise announcement came at a gathering of faculty, staff, students and trustees Friday afternoon to thank DePaolo for her contributions to the university as the spring semester comes to a close. DePaolo Hall, formerly Westside Hall, houses many important student programs and services, including the Abrons Student Health Center and pharmacy; the CARE and Crossroads programs, which provide sexual assault and drug education and prevention; University Testing Services; Disability Services; the University Learning Center; and University College, which oversees undergraduate basic studies programs.

Wendy Murphy, chair of the Board of Trustees, said it was fitting that DePaolo’s name be placed on a building that is focused on providing student services because of her personal commitment to providing students with the highest quality education at the lowest possible cost.

“This naming recognizes Chancellor DePaolo’s extraordinary service to UNCW and in honor of her unwavering commitment to putting our students first in every decision she made during her eight years as chancellor,” Murphy said.

Built in 1970, DePaolo Hall was the original university cafeteria. It reverted to general purpose use after the construction of Wagoner Hall, which opened to students in 1989. It underwent a significant renovation and expansion in 2005, after which the current student services offices were moved into the facility.

Disclaimer: Comments posted on this, or any story are opinions of those people posting them, and not the views or opinions
of WWAY NewsChannel 3, its management or employees. You can view our comment policy here.

You have got to be kidding me. All she did was ride the coattails of Dr. Leutze during her 8-year tenure. She may have a commitment to students publicly but I doubt the students themselves would have known it due to her poor accessibility and involvement.

UNCW is a great school and it is a shame that it had to ensure 8 years of this woman who failed to unite the community with the campus as Dr. Leutze had done.

There is no doubt that Chancellor DePaolo is an intelligent woman, however she is an office person - not a public figure for a large growing university.

I hope the next Chancellor is better able to be a leader of the students and someone they can look up and aspire to be like.